The Houston Chronicle is reporting that in the days before Gov. Rick Perry’s indictment over his veto of funding for the public integrity unit, the Travis County DA’s office had requested the next Legislature to restore most of the unit’s funding.
Jane Nelson
Posted inState Government
Commission Formally Recommends Closure of Some State Institutions
A Texas commission that reviews government agencies officially recommended Wednesday that lawmakers shutter an Austin-area institution for people with disabilities and identify five more statewide for later closure.
Posted in
Demographics
Senators Debate Funding, Merits of National Guard Deployment
At a state Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday, senators debated the merits and tactical strategies of Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to send Texas National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Posted inState Government
Inside Texas Politics: The Elephant in the Room
On this week’s edition of WFAA-TV’s Inside Texas Politics, we talked about the new head of the Senate Finance Committee, the border surge, campaign finance reports, the ongoing UT-Austin saga and more.
Posted in
Energy
The Brief: July 18, 2014
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is on his way out in a few months, but on Thursday he moved to fill some key Senate leadership slots to help the chamber prepare for the coming legislative session in January.
Posted in
Health care
Schwertner to Lead Senate Health and Human Services Committee
After appointing Sen. Jane Nelson to chair the Senate Finance Committee, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has picked Sen. Charles Schwertner to replace her as the head of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
Posted in
Health care
The Brief: July 17, 2014
Wendy Davis’ fundraising figures from Tuesday that showed her raising slightly more money than her GOP rival for governor are now being questioned.
Posted in
Health care
Lawmakers Consider Closing Institutions for Disabled Texans
Lawmakers considered a proposal to shutter six of Texas’ 13 state-supported living centers over two days of public hearings, renewing a long-simmering debate over the future of the state’s institutions for the disabled.
Posted in
Health care
Uncertain Future for State’s Division of Blind Services
The state is considering a proposal to integrate its Division for Blind Services with other rehabilitation services. While lawmakers are largely supportive of a consolidation, advocates for the blind are voicing concerns.
Posted in
Health care
Amid Recommendations, an Uncertain Future at Institutions for Disabled
A recommendation from the state’s Sunset Advisory Commission to shutter six of Texas’ 13 state-supported living centers has reopened a giant divide in the disability community that had seemed to narrow in recent years.